


Our Sharpest Edges

by Shadowbob



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Gore, Character Death, M/M, Masturbation, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-15 04:38:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3433844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowbob/pseuds/Shadowbob
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sly spent the year with Virus and Trip getting closer to Aoba. Watching him suffer wasn't as amusing as he thought it would be and now he wants to get them out and go after everyone who played a part.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I revamped a shorter ficlet. I hope this is as fun to read as it was to write.

Everyday his voice gets stronger as he gets angrier. He wants to destroy all of our reasons for being here. It was terrifying so I pushed him down. Even so, he never left me. Lulling me into sleep at night, talking me through my torment. Telling me I didn't deserve this. That they all should die for how I've suffered. In my darkest moments, I had to agree.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trip pulled Aoba out into the hallway, the wet cloth still clung to his eyes. As he was pulled along, panic rose up in his throat. He didn't want to go to Trip's room. He was scared. He was always scared. If he went to Trip's room it would kill him this time. He knew it would.

Aoba felt something hard hit his knees and it took him a moment to realize he had fallen. Trip let out a sigh that made all of his muscles cringe. He couldn't see his face so he couldn't tell if he was angry with him. What would he do to him if he was angry?

"He's gonna kill you, you know?" It was Sly again. "Even if it's not today. Eventually, those two are going to love you to death." He was laughing at his own stupid joke, clearly quite proud of himself. He was right though.

Soon he felt Trip put his arms around him and lift him. It would appear he was going to Trip's room whether he could get himself there or not. "Kill him." Aoba shook his head, probably making Trip wonder. Or not, he knew Aoba was crazy by now. They both knew. "Kill them before they kill us. I can do it for you. You won't even have to watch."

Aoba felt dizzy thinking about it. Maybe Sly really could get them out. If Aoba was going to give him his chance it had to be now, they were running out of hallway. He reached out to Sly and was suddenly filled with the sensation of falling. Sly felt like he was soaring, however, as he came to the forefront. It had been a little while, the body felt different.

Sly slipped the blindfold off of his face and quickly blinked his eyes into focus. When Trip opened his mouth to admonish him, he stepped into the opportunity. He quickly balled the cloth up and shoved it into Trip's mouth and as far down his throat as his fingers would allow. Turned out to be pretty far considering how skinny his hands had gotten. Trip bit down on his fingers as he withdrew them and dropped Sly to the floor. He tried to suck air around the cloth but it only pulled it further down his windpipe.

Trip stuck his fingers into his mouth to try to reach it but his fingertips just barely grazed it, pushing it further down and triggering his gag reflex. He retched but what came up had no where to go. Sly stared in fascination as the bump in Trip's neck bobbed up and down in an attempt to get the bile back down, but it was pointless.

Sly shook himself from his daze and got behind Trip while he was distracted and kicked the back of his knees as hard as he could. When Trip went down, he immediately hopped on him and began slamming his face into the floor with all of his strength. He continued his assault even after Trip stopped resisting. It wasn't until he could no longer hear him gurgling that Sly felt safe enough to leave him there. "After all those years with Virus, that fucker still had a gag reflex? Ha, lucky us huh?"

Sly looked down at his hands when he realized they were shaking. "Steady Aoba, this was just the first."He stood there for a second while he contemplated his next step. His body was weak, he doubted he could handle another struggle. Trip was big and he was strong, Sly was just trying to be thorough, but he had to be quicker with Virus. He walked back down the hallway to Virus' door.

He reached out to knock when he was seized by Aoba's terror. Slowly he backed away from the door. "Shit Aoba. Feel things on your own time. I can't afford to fuck up with Virus." Aoba knew he was right. Trip probably would have killed them in anger. Virus would do so much worse. Sly gave him a moment to calm himself before he approached the door again.

It felt weird to knock, but he wasn't going to risk walking in. He had been lucky Virus hadn't heard any of the commotion with Trip. When the door opened he took a step back to allow Virus into the hallway. "Aoba-san, wha-" Virus took one step before he caught sight of Trip out of the corner of his eye. Sly wanted to wait and see his reaction, if any, but it was too dangerous. He leapt forward and grabbed Virus' face before pushing his thumbs deep into his eye sockets. The feeling was incredible. The way Virus was scratching at him made him think it wasn't going to kill him like he had hoped. Keeping his hands firmly at the side of Virus' face, Sly twisted his neck until he heard a satisfying pop and Virus fell limp into his arms. Sly quickly pushed Virus off of him and scrambled to his feet to shut the door. He didn't know if Hersha and Welter held any loyalty to the two non-twins, but he didn't want to risk a run in. 

He glanced down the hall to Trip's still body, turned to look down at Virus. A shrill, terrifying screech ripped through the hallway, startling Sly back against the wall. He looked around frantically for the source until he realized it had been him. He sighed in irritation. "Don't lose your shit Aoba. We're far from done." Sly squatted down next to Virus and removed his shoes, clothes and coil. He slipped everything on except for the shirt. He would have to take Trip's, this one had blood on it.

Sly got them away from the mess in the hallway to explore the house. He was amazed at how little he knew the place considering how he had spent the last year there. He found the kitchen and immediately ran over to the fridge. It was mostly leftovers, weird to think of either Virus or Trip cooking, but he didn't care. He started pulling out containers and tearing into them. He could feel Aoba's disgust. "Hey, Trip made us puke during bath time remember? We need to eat. They let our body go to shit." Cold chicken, cold pasta, he was hungrier than he realized. He needed to slow down though. It would be a waste to throw it all back up. He put everything back in the fridge and sat down on the floor to rest.

"What now?" Aoba's voice was small in his head. A foreign feeling swelled in Sly's chest. Aoba was lost and looking to him. After all this time, Aoba was finally really seeing him. Cute. He'd hate to disappoint.

"Now, we try to get ahold of that brat. He's rich right? Maybe we can get him to take us back to Midorijima." He lifted his wrist, staring at the coil that flopped around loosely on it. "You're going to have to talk to him. I don't think I can fake what we need to get his ass moving." Silence. He could tell Aoba was hesitant, but he soon felt him pushing forward. "Good boy." Sly smirked as he relinquished control.

It took some coaching and reassurance from Sly to get Aoba to successfully call Noiz, but they managed. Shocked the shit out of him to hear their voice. Good news; Aoba broke down beautifully. Noiz agreed to come get them and talked him through setting up the coil so he could track it. Bad news; it would take him fifteen hours to get to them. Whatever, there was plenty of food. He just had to avoid the allmates. "Oh...Noiz? Please don't tell anyone about me. I'm not ready for that." Noiz agreed. It was Aoba's choice to make, what did he care?

"You did good Aoba." The voice in his head made him smile. It had been a while since he had done that. It felt unnatural. Aoba looked out the window, it was dark. He was too tired to look around for a clock. He thought about getting some blankets for himself out of the linen closet in the hallway but he was afraid to see their bodies. Or worse, they failed in killing them and they wouldn't be laying there when he looked. "Calm Aoba. We can sleep on tile just fine." Sly began cooing him to sleep right there on the kitchen floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Aoba's eyes fluttered open when the light coming in the window became too bright to ignore. He lay still and tried to push the ache in his limbs out of his thoughts until Virus and Trip released him when it occurred to him that he wasn't bound and they were dead. He must have curled up like this because he was so used to the position. Judging by the pain in his joints, he probably had spent all night like that. His body jumped at the sound of Sly's voice. "It's alright Aoba. It's just a habit. You can sleep however you want." Aoba stretched out his legs and arms feeling the relief rush into them before sitting up. As he crossed his legs underneath himself he noticed the pants were damp and clinging to his skin. "That's something we'll have to work on. Can't keep pissing ourselves. But for now it's okay."

To get a better understanding of how long they had slept and how much longer they had to wait for Noiz to arrive, Sly got Aoba to check when their call with Noiz had ended. "Ten hours ago. Good rest. Bet you feel a bit better today." Aoba nodded compliantly. "We have some time yet. Go get cleaned up." Aoba rose to his feet and removed the shoes and soiled pants, leaving them on the floor in the kitchen. It felt weird to be wearing clothes again anyways.

Sly remained silent as Aoba began filling the tub with water. It was amazing that after only a year, he had almost forgotten how to do these things for himself. He hardly had memories of the time before Virus and Trip. If it couldn't be used to get him through his time with them, he pretty much deleted it. Aoba sat down on the floor and leaned back against the tub. Virus and Trip were dead. Noiz was coming to take him back to Midorijima. This was reality, but he still felt like he couldn't leave here, he had given up on escaping a long time ago. But here he was, walking around the house freely. He was going home to become the Aoba Virus and Trip had "fallen in love with" all over again.

The thought stirred up a response Aoba was all too familiar with now. He would be forced to react to them even now that they were dead? It was disgusting, but there was no stopping the way his body felt. Virus and Trip weren't there to tell him how to deal with it though. Aoba whimpered in frustration and jerked his head back, hitting it off the tub repeatedly. He didn't stop until Sly's voice rang low and demanding in his head. "Aoba stop." Immediately he did what he was told. "Take care of it." Aoba obeyed without a thought, wrapping his hand around his half hard dick. Without any instructions, Aoba simply settled himself into a rhythm.

He thought about all the times he had to do this for Virus and Trip. How humiliated and degraded he would feel. How he had come every single time. Before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face. Aoba tightened his grip until it was almost painful. He could sense Sly's amusement, the thought made his dick harden even more in his grip. He could imagine Sly smirking at him and taunting him as he played with himself. Virus and Trip slipped from his mind as he pumped his hand faster.

Crying on the bathroom floor, jerking off to Virus and Trip and now this. Sly couldn't help but be a part of this. "Are you thinking about me you filthy piece of shit?" Aoba whimpered in embarrassment but he didn't slow his pace as Sly's voice resounded in his head. "Do I have to remind you of how you like it?" Aoba nodded fiercely in response, fully prepared to do whatever Sly demanded of him. "Squeeze the head while you rub your thumb into the slit." Aoba eagerly did just that and it sent a chill up his spine. He placed his free hand under the other and began pumping his shaft again. "You're so greedy." Sly's teasing elicited a moan from Aoba. "Suck on your hair." Aoba licked a lock of hair off of his shoulder and sucked on it as he was told, occasionally grinding it between his lips. The sensation could be felt all the way down to his erection.

Aoba was panting as he quickly approached his limit when he was distracted by the feeling of water pooling beneath him. He had forgotten about filling the tub and now it was overflowing onto the floor. "Fuck it. Finish." Sly's voice was almost a growl and it was enough to push Aoba over the edge. He bit down on his hair as he came, moaning loudly. He leaned his head back against the tub as he came down, his hair getting wet from the water spilling out. "Why don't you rest and I'll bathe us." Aoba nodded weakly as he let Sly take over. Switching was beginning to feel more fluid Sly noticed.

He wiped his hands on the shirt they were wearing before he unbuttoned and removed it, tossing it in the corner. As he stood, he removed the coil and placed it on the sink. Turning the water off, Sly slipped into the tub splashing more water out on to the floor. Coming to the conclusion that a soak may help with their joint pain and ease Aoba's use of their body, Sly got comfortable and passed the time thinking about their return to Midorijima. He wondered how much it had changed. Maybe Toue had control of the whole island by now. If that were the case, it's curious how Noiz hadn't offered any warnings. Noiz had a few things to answer for as far as Sly was concerned. They all did. Even their precious granny, though she was more or less a personal vendetta. "Protecting" Aoba from him with her mind fuck drugs. His blood boiled just thinking about how she had demonized him. He ceased his spiteful thoughts when Aoba started to become jittery. It wasn't worth it to get upset over it now and lose focus.

Sly finished washing up and was faced with the dilemma of finding new clothes. Deciding he could take on the snake allmate so long as he had a sufficient weapon, he began his hunt around the house for one stark naked. He settled on a lamp that seemed solid enough to do damage, but was light enough to swing with ease and made his way to the hallway.

Without really considering the possibility of Aoba having a reaction, Sly rounded the corner and started for Virus' door. The first thing he felt upon seeing the bodies was an overwhelming sense of relief, probably stemming from Aoba's paranoia that they weren't actually dead. As he drew closer however, that feeling was soon replaced with dread. Alive or not, these two were a nightmare. Sly tried to distance himself from Aoba's fear as he stepped around Virus' body and slipped into the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. It would do him no good to have Hersha running loose in the house. He stood perfectly still as his eyes scanned the room. When he found the allmate his blood nearly froze in his veins. It would be a waste of energy to go after it unless it came after him so he simply stared it down as he inched over to the dresser. The snake didn't move though, so assuming it was in sleep mode, Sly quickly gathered up a shirt and pants and darted out of the room and back to the kitchen.

Sly grabbed the shoes and the belt from the soiled pants before getting them dressed. Afterwards, he went digging in the fridge, they hadn't eaten yet and he was starting to feel it. Just like the night before, Sly didn't really pay any mind to what he was shoving in their mouth and he didn't really care that it was cold. The way he was tearing through everything was almost animalistic. He almost didn't hear Aoba. "What's that sound?" Sly stopped chewing and listened. Ringing? The coil. Noiz. "Shit!" Sly bolted for the coil nearly slipping and falling on the flooded floor. He answered the call as soon as it was in his hands and pulled Aoba out to speak. 

"Aoba?" Momentarily stunned by being tossed back into his body like that, Aoba just stood there staring at the screen in silence. "Yes, this is me." His voice came out awkward and quiet. "....I just wanted to inform you that I've landed and I am on my way to you now. Turns out you're not that far from the airport. I should be to you in ten minutes." Noiz sounded very formal. He didn't remember him being like that. The Noiz he remembered was cocky and childish. "Aoba?" Pulled from his thoughts, Aoba realized he had been quiet for too long. "That's fine. Thank you Noiz." Noiz hummed in reply and ended the call. "We'll have to work on your communication skills as well it seems. Let's get out of here. No need to bring Noiz here." Aoba nodded as he slipped the coil on his wrist and headed to the front door.

Aoba's heart beat painfully in his chest while he took in the sight in front of him. Trees. Grass. Sunlight. It was too bright, but he was afraid to close his eyes only to realize upon opening them again that this had been a cruel dream. He used to have them all the time at first. But he could feel the breeze on his face, pushing his hair around. "Go on Aoba." Sly urged him passed the threshold and into the yard. From the look of it, they were in the countryside. There wasn't anything around that Aoba could see. He shut the door behind him and began walking remembering that Sly had wanted distance from the house. The further away he got though, the harder it was for him to breathe.

Aoba tried to focus on walking and to his defense he had gotten a fair distance, but he was fairly certain his lungs had shriveled up. That's probably what the twinge in his chest was. He stopped for a second to catch his breath. He was panting by now and he didn't want to pass out. It wasn't helping. The pain in his chest was getting worse. He was starting to think it was his heart. His body was too weak to handle this and now he was having a heart attack. He squatted down, the lack of oxygen making him too dizzy to stay upright. He finally got away from those two and out of that house just to die in the field it sat in. "You need to calm down. You're not dying. Put your head between your knees and take slow, even breaths." Aoba did as he was told, feeling a little better just from having tasks broken down and dictated to him.

Noiz was looking out the windows of his rental car for any sign of Aoba. After a few minutes, a fleck of blue amongst all the green caught his eyes. He pulled over and hit the breaks probably a little too fast. Turning the car off and pocketing the keys, he stepped out and walked slowly over to Aoba, not wanting to frighten him. Aoba was sitting all curled up, not moving. "Aoba?" He called his name softly but didn't get a reply. He walked over next to him and squatted down. Aoba looked like a phantom, he was pale and far too skinny. The clothes he was wearing looked two sizes too big on him. He couldn't see much of his face like this, but his eyes were dull and he appeared to be hyperventilating. He reached out cautiously making sure none of his movements were too fast and placed a hand gently on Aoba's shoulder.

"It's alright Aoba. You weren't ready yet. It's alright. Do you want to rest?" Aoba didn't answer, he simply fell into their mind. Sly pushed out and immediately regained control of their breathing and focused on slowing their racing heart. As their thoughts became less jumbled Sly became aware of a hand on his shoulder. When he turned their head to find Noiz there he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

As soon as Noiz touched Aoba his eyes changed. For a second they looked like a snapped connection before almost flaring to life. He held his breath for a second as Aoba became aware of his presence. He didn't recognize the eyes looking back at him when Aoba finally noticed him. He was captured by the brilliant golden brown orbs as Aoba gave him a slow, chilling grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it wasn't difficult to tell who was in control. I know I bounced between Aoba and Sly a lot. 
> 
> Also, I'm aware Sly is ooc.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is mostly filler. Sorry.
> 
> From now on, when Aoba and Sly talk to each other it will be in italics.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter has an attempt at suicide and mentions of self harm.

A small, unnatural sounding giggle hit Noiz's ears in a strange way and he withdrew his hand. Sly cocked his head to the side grinning wide. "Noiz. You're looking... different." Noiz's expression became unreadable as he stood upright. Sly frowned and stood as well before turning and making his way to the car. "Whatever, we have plenty of time to catch up." Noiz followed silently behind him. He had been expecting Aoba to be different, but this felt wrong. He slid behind the wheel and Sly climbed into the seat next to him. The silence between them was so thick, Noiz felt like he was suffocating on it the whole way to the airport.

  
Sly whistled through his teeth as he followed Noiz on board the craft. "Private jet, huh? Swanky." Noiz rolled his eyes and took his seat, motioning for Sly to take the seat in front of him. "I assumed you would be more comfortable this way." Noiz removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie while Sly sat down. "How thoughtful of you. Did you get all dressed up for me as well?" Sly laughed at the scowl Noiz was giving him. "I dropped everything I was doing to come get you. I didn't have time to change."Sly mumbled something under his breath and slumped back in his seat. Much to Noiz's surprise and relief, Sly remained quiet through takeoff and almost an hour into their flight.

  
Noiz was typing away on his coil and Sly was staring at him growing more and more restless. Finally deciding he had been patient enough, Sly broke the silence. "So what am I going back to?" He reached over and pulled down the window shade, finding the view of endless ocean to be unnerving. Noiz looked uncomfortable for a second before stifling it, choosing not to take his eyes off of his coil screen. "I'm assuming you want to know about Toue and the tower?" Sly smirked at Noiz as he slid down in his seat so he could place his feet in Noiz's lap, demanding his full attention. Noiz let out an exasperated sigh as he closed the screens he had up.

  
The smirk on Sly's face was mocking and made Noiz feel as though he was being provoked. Sly seemed to be out for his blood. "I have some questions of my own as well." If he was going to be difficult, then Noiz was going to get something out of it. Sly raised an eyebrow at him and removed his feet from his lap. "Fine, but I get what I want first." The smirk was back, Noiz just shook his head and thought about where he should start.

  
"When we found out you had snuck off to the tower alone, we went after you. We followed Clear since he claimed he could hear your voice, but once we were inside, he said he couldn't hear you anymore." Sly's eyes widened a fraction. He had forgotten Clear was sensitive to his voice. That could be a problem later on. "We searched the tower and came across that Mink guy. He said you guys got split up but he was too hellbent on going after Toue to help us find you. He warned us that his team was going to take down the tower and that we didn't have long to get out. Soon after, an evacuation order was issued and in the chaos, Toue slipped away. The tower fell and Toue inc. has since been divided up amongst several other companies and Platinum Jail has been opened up to everyone for the most part."

  
Sly balled his hands up into tight fists, Aoba was crumbling. "I'm so glad everyone got their happy fucking ending. It would suck to have spent the last year in hell for nothing." It was how they both truly felt, but as soon as he said it, he was swamped with Aoba's guilt. "You look no worse for wear. Which brings me to my question." The comment earned Noiz a sharp glare, but he left Sly to seethe while he pushed for answers. "What happened to you?" Noiz almost shivered at the grin that crept across Sly's face. "Oh a few things. Trip made us call him daddy once while he fucked us into oblivion, but I don't think that's what you meant, huh?" Sly sneered at him, enjoying the look of disgust. "Us?"

  
"Tch, you don't even know who I am do you?" Noiz looked genuinely confused. "Do you remember after Tae was rescued she told you guys about Aoba and Scrap?" Sly looked expectantly at Noiz and he nodded for him to continue. "I'm Scrap." Noiz frowned and turned to stare out the window. He forgot Sly had closed the shade but he appeared to be perfectly content staring at it anyway as he didn't look away. Sly kicked his feet back up into Noiz's lap and crossed his arms. Noiz sighed and turned his attention back to Sly. "I suppose I can understand fracturing yourself to deal with trauma."

  
Sly dug his heel into Noiz's thigh. "Don't assume I'm only here because of Virus and Trip. I've always been here." Noiz pushed his feet out of his lap. "Whatever, I don't care. I wanna speak to Aoba then." Sly looked furious at the dismissal. Noiz wasn't going to see him any better than anyone else. This was fine though, perfect really. The closer they got to Midorijima the greater the chances that his voice would alert Clear to their arrival. Aoba would have to be out for a while. He could already feel him getting nervous. _"You'll do just fine. Noiz will take care of you and I will be right here."_

  
With a little nudge from Sly, Aoba came to the forefront. Noiz watched as the cocky man in front of him curled up into himself and his eyes became dim. He looked almost frail. Fractured didn't describe what Noiz was seeing. Aoba looked like a completely different person now. He was hugging himself for comfort and his face looked worn. This is what Noiz was expecting him to look like. As irritating as the other side of Aoba was, he didn't want to see him like this.

  
Noiz got up and seated himself next to Aoba who watched his every move but seemed too lost in thought to really focus on him. He wanted to reach out to him but thought differently about it when he realized touch was probably something awful to him now. Reaching over, Noiz grabbed his suit jacket and draped it over Aoba's shoulders. Noiz pulled up the screens on his coil again while Aoba drifted off, pulling the jacket tightly around himself.

  
After landing in Midorijima, Noiz brought Aoba to his apartment remembering that Aoba had said he wasn't ready to see anyone yet. He sat Aoba down on the couch while he disappeared into his room to get him clean clothes that would fit him a little better. When he turned to head back to Aoba he found him standing in the doorway of his bedroom.

  
"I was coming right back." Noiz watched as Aoba's eyes scanned the room before settling on him. "I couldn't be alone." This Aoba's voice was small and nervous sounding. This was the Aoba they had lost a year ago. Noiz spent two months tracking Aoba's coil when his body wasn't discovered in the rubble of Oval Tower. Eventually he found it discarded near the airport. It was a terrible, helpless feeling. Almost as helpless as watching Tae break down when she heard the news. Koujaku called the coil several times everyday. Noiz didn't have it in him to tell him he had found the coil and calling it was pointless. It was the only hope he had. Clear was always listening for Aoba's voice. During a repair, Clear confided in Noiz the immense guilt he felt for losing him. Noiz shook the thoughts from his head. Aoba was here now and he was alive.

  
Noiz threw the clothes on the bed and grabbed Aoba's hand, pulling him into the room. Aoba flinched slightly at the contact but he didn't pull his hand away. "You can change in here. I'll give you some privacy." Noiz turned to leave but Aoba tightened his grip. He placed a hand gently on Aoba's arm. "I'll leave the door open and stand just outside." Aoba stared at him blankly for a second before nodding and releasing his hand. He watched Noiz leave the room anxiously. When he was out of sight, Aoba became terrified. People were easy to snatch up when they were left alone. Virus and Trip were responsible for abducting large groups of people at once. It was impossible to be safe from them. Except that they were dead. How did he know he was any safer with Noiz though? He had known Virus and Trip for years, Noiz was a stranger. A stranger who had stalked him and broken into his home.

  
Aoba panicked as he looked around the room. There was a door on the other side and upon opening it Aoba discovered it was a bathroom. He slipped inside and locked the door. "Aoba? Are you done?" Noiz was calling to him from the hallway. Whatever he was going to do he didn't have much time to do it. He rushed over to the medicine cabinet and began pulling out pill bottles and swallowing handfuls of whatever it was he could find. _"Aoba stop, you're not in danger."_ A knock on the door made Aoba jump. "Aoba? Are you okay?" Noiz sounded nervous. Aoba began to feel nauseous as he pulled out another bottle. He struggled with the cap and dumped the contents all over the floor when he tried to pour them out into his hand. Noiz heard the sound of the pills scattering and began to bang on the door. "Aoba!" Sly was pushing to take control and Noiz was trying to break the door down, pills weren't going to be fast enough. Aoba grabbed a pair of trimming scissors and settled himself on the floor.

  
Noiz couldn't hear anything after the pills hit the floor and he still wasn't getting a response from Aoba. The silence was disturbing. He was afraid breaking down the door would scare Aoba into doing something to hurt himself, but he couldn't live with the decision to do nothing, so he began throwing himself at the door.

  
The room jolting every which way was making Aoba sick. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. A strong desire to sleep washed over him and the moment he allowed himself to give into the thought, Sly tore through. He quickly got up and leaned over the toilet shoving his fingers down his throat in an attempt to throw up whatever Aoba had swallowed. After, he crawled over to the door and unlocked it for Noiz who burst in the second he heard the lock pop. "Fuck, Aoba!" Sly felt more vomit making it's way up. Noiz placed a trash can in front of his face and was pulling his hair back when he caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were the gold from before. "You're not Aoba." Sly weakly shook his head before retching violently. "Are you helping?" Sly nodded and Noiz tightened his hold as he heaved again. Noiz looked around the room, empty pill bottles lay in the sink and on the floor and there was blood everywhere. Sly held his arms out for him to see. It looked more like frantic stabbings than cuts. Noiz removed his shirt and tore it, wrapping the material tightly around Sly's arms.

  
Noiz knew nothing Aoba took would kill him, but he was going to be very sick until he got everything out of his system. He couldn't do much about his arms until then. They spent half the night on the bathroom floor while Sly puked foam and dry heaved. When he passed out, Noiz carried him into the bedroom and laid him down on his side on the bed. He took care of the cuts with all the knowledge and expertise of someone who had taken care of their own wounds for years. He then crawled onto the bed and leaned back against the headboard to watch over Aoba the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Mentions of a suicide attempt

Aoba could barely bring himself to open his eyes. Despite everything he'd been through, there were very few times where he woke up feeling worse than he did at that moment. Every inch of his body was in excruciating pain, he felt too weak to move and his head was fuzzy and pounding. Bits and pieces of the night before flashed through his mind and he remembered that he had tried to kill himself. Weird thing to forget. He wondered briefly how he had messed it up when it occurred to him that he wasn't sure why he had done it in the first place. Staining the floor seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do in the midst of his irrational terror.

He sat up slowly to get a better look at his body and survey the damage. The pain in his torso was probably from throwing up if the sour taste in his mouth and lingering nausea were any indication. His forearms were throbbing and wrapped in bandages that were already turning pink. The most curious thing was the puncture marks across two of his knuckles. He vaguely remembered Trip biting him, Sly actually. He shuddered at the memory, not really knowing how to feel about it. He had blood and puke crusted all down the front of him. The clothes felt disgusting. He slipped out of them and went in search of Noiz.

Once he was out in the hall, he heard Noiz talking to someone, saying something about not wanting to leave him alone for long. He followed the sound of Noiz's voice out into the living room. He froze when he saw who Noiz was talking with and they did the same when they noticed him. "A-Aoba-san."

"Aoba you're... you're naked. Okay, that's fine." Noiz grabbed a blanket from the couch and wrapped Aoba in it. He was fixated on Clear. Noiz looked back and forth between the two of them. He wrapped an arm around Aoba's shoulders as tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm going to take him back to the bedroom." Noiz turned to look at Clear only to find him in tears as well. "Sweet fuck don't you start too." Clear placed a hand over his face and retreated into the kitchen. "Come on Aoba. You should be resting." Noiz led him back into the bedroom and got him clean clothes. He changed the sheets on the bed while Aoba got dressed.

When Noiz had finished making the bed, he climbed up onto it and rested against the headboard. "I didn't mean for Clear to be a surprise. I figured you could use a good meal, but I didn't want to leave you alone to go out. I couldn't cook you anything decent anyways. So I called Clear. He won't say anything to anyone though, I promise." Aoba nodded and climbed onto the bed with him.

A little while later, Clear came to the door holding a tray of food. He slowly walked over to the bed and set it down. Aoba looked at the food and his stomach flopped. _"I'll eat for us, you rest."_ Sly had been so quiet his voice startled Aoba a little. Sly came forward and looked over the food and then up to Clear. "Thank you Clear." Clear's eyes widened at the sound of his voice. Noiz looked over at him and noticed he was covered in goosebumps. "I didn't think you could do that. Why are you doing that?" Noiz sat up and touched Clear's arm then followed his gaze to golden eyes. Sly smirked and reached his hand out to touch Clear's cheek when Noiz slapped it away. "What are you doing?" Sly laughed and lay back against the headboard. "I'm not doing him any harm." Noiz glared at him, but he was too focused on Clear to notice.

"It's my voice. We've never really been this close before have we Clear?" Clear slowly shook his head, he knew about Aoba's voice and why he was attracted to it, but he had never been exposed to Sly like this. It touched something very deep inside of him that made him feel beyond machine, while reminding him he could never be human. "I'm the reason this cutie ever called Aoba master." Sly poked at Noiz with his toes to irritate him, Noiz wasn't biting though. "Could you warn me if you're going to be doing this back and forth shit all the time? What should I call you anyway?" Sly's face fell, he had never been acknowledged enough to be given a name like Ren had. Though when they were younger and playing Rhyme all the time, people would refer to him as Sly. He kind of liked that. "Sly." Saying it out loud made him giddy. He had a name now and while it wasn't much of one, it made him more real than he'd ever been.

Clear felt very self conscious all of a sudden. Showing people his face was always difficult and Sly was someone new. He shot Noiz a nervous look and they nodded in a silent agreement. Sly frowned at the exchange. "We'll leave you to eat." Noiz got up and stood at the foot of the bed. "I'll be out in the living room if you need me." Sly smirked and crawled his way down the bed. Without caring that Clear was there, he wrapped his arms around Noiz's neck and brought his face close. "You know, I kind of like that you hate me." Noiz freed himself from his hold and grabbed Clear's hand pulling him towards the door. "Good, cause I can't imagine changing my mind any time soon." Sly faked a pout. "Eat." With that, Noiz dragged Clear out of the room. Sly wasn't going to argue. They had gotten pretty used to throwing up, but there was no way to get used to the empty feeling afterwards. He ignored the nausea and devoured the food. He wasn't even sure he had tasted any of it. He lay back for a few minutes until he was certain he was going to keep the food down before getting up to find Noiz.

Noiz was sitting on the couch with Clear laying in his lap. As Sly got closer he noticed there was a panel removed from Clear's back and Noiz was wrist deep in wires and intricate looking bits. When Noiz noticed him, he removed his hands from Clear and placed a finger in front of his lips to hush Sly. "Try to keep your voice down until I've finished and stay away. Clear doesn't like being seen like this." Sly nodded and Noiz went back to work. "What are you doing to him?" Sly sat down on the floor. "I'm just looking at a few things." It was silent for a moment as Sly watched Noiz. He was very focused and his hands seemed skilled in what they were doing. Sly suddenly became aware of the fact that he was smiling and quickly wiped his face of it. "So what's with the intense silence?" Sly lay back and stared up at the ceiling. Noiz once again removed his hands from Clear while he talked. "Clear is in a sleep-like state at the moment. He can hear us but he can't really process any of it, just like when we're sleeping." Sly lifted his head to look at Noiz. "So you want it quiet while he sleeps? That's cute." Noiz ignored his comment and turned his attention back to what he was doing.

Sly allowed for a few minutes of silence before his curiosity got the better of him. "You seem to care about him." He sat up to get a better look at Noiz. "Did you fuck him or something?" Noiz sighed and set his tool down, letting his hands rest on Clear's back. "It's none of your business whether I have or not." Sly raised an eyebrow at him and got to his feet. Never taking his eyes off of Noiz, he circled the room, remembering to keep his distance as he was asked. He caught a glimpse of the inside of Clear. The wires were so many different colors. He wondered what it felt like to run his fingers through them, pulling on them and messing him up. He shuddered at where his thoughts were going. Maybe in time he would allow himself to play, but for now he had to be patient.

Sly stopped circling once he was behind Noiz and took the opportunity to look around, trying to get a feel of the place. "What reason do you have to hate me?" Noiz pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I don't hate you. I just don't trust you." Sly giggled making Noiz crane his neck to look behind him. "That's so unfair. After all I've done?" Sly feigned hurt and Noiz shrugged, gently putting Clear's panel back into place. "What helps Aoba helps you right?" It was hard to tell if Noiz was being intuitive and seeing right through him, or if he was just guarded. Either way he had the potential to make things interesting. The corner of Sly's mouth twitched. Noiz carefully lifted Clear and slid out from under him, turning him over to lay comfortably on his back. Sly sauntered over to the couch and leaned on the back of it while Noiz sank into an armchair. He looked over Clear and scowled when he didn't do anything. "Why isn't he waking up?" Noiz lay his head back and closed his eyes. "He will in a bit. I didn't really do anything to him but he'll still run a check before waking up." He let out a long, slow breath, drawing Sly's attention. "Tired?" Noiz chuckled. "You know I am."

"You were up all night taking care of me weren't you?" Noiz sighed in irritation when he felt Sly straddle his lap. He lifted his head, expecting to be met with brilliant gold eyes but instead he found Aoba's soft brown ones. He swallowed hard. "It's nothing I can't handle." His voice came out softer than he intended. Aoba gave him a small smile but it looked like it felt strange to him. Noiz didn't know what to do, Aoba's penetrating gaze had him paralyzed. Aoba slowly placed his hands at the sides of Noiz's face, running his thumbs over his eyebrows and down his nose. Noiz held his breath when Aoba ran a finger over where his snakebites used to be. Noiz realized then that he was probably wondering about his piercings. He wrapped his hands around Aoba's and placed them in his lap. "Are they all gone?" Aoba cocked his head to the side curiously, looking at Noiz's ears. Noiz opened his mouth and then closed it. He shook his head when Aoba's eyes came back to meet his.

Noiz's eyes widened when he felt Aoba's lips brush against his. He quickly pulled away with a nervous half laugh. "Heh, my tongue piercing is gone too." Noiz smirked at Aoba's frown until he remembered it was Aoba. He released his hands and shifted his gaze to the side. "I can take you back to the bedroom to rest if you want." Aoba shook his head. "You need sleep." He lay his head against Noiz's shoulder. Noiz looked over at Clear, he would be fine to take care of himself when he woke up. He gently pushed Aoba out of his lap and led him into the bedroom. "I'll rest with you if you're okay with that." Aoba nodded and Noiz began unbuttoning his shirt. "I'm going to shower first. Go ahead and nap if you want to. I'll be just in there." Noiz pointed to the bathroom in the corner of the room. Aoba glanced inside and saw that it was spotless. All evidence of the night before had been washed away. That was probably Clear's doing, he was good at that. Cleaning up messes. Aoba was a mess. He could have died last night and no one would have known. It made tingles crawl over his scalp. _"Kill them before they kill us, remember?"_ Aoba nodded to himself and watched Noiz move about the room.

As soon as Noiz closed the bathroom door, Aoba was on his feet, heading out to the living room. Clear was still sleeping peacefully on the couch. As he looked down at him, an unfamiliar feeling rushed through Aoba's chest. _"Calm Aoba. I can do it for you. You won't even have to watch."_


	5. Chapter 5

Noiz was floating through darkness so thick, he swore he could feel it if he was capable of feeling anything. A small light broke through and it brought with it the faint smell of oil. It was a familiar smell, but his mind was too foggy to place it. Then the light was gone and he was floating again.

It was a while before the light came back. At least to Noiz it felt like it had been a while. There was no way to tell in this space. The smell of oil was back as well, stronger this time. He remembers it now. It's Clear's. Maybe he punctured a line with his screwdriver again. No, he would have noticed that. Besides, he closed Clear. But then what? Everything became muddy as the light faded again. Just before it went completely dark, he swore he could hear Aoba's voice.

Noiz was brought to by the overwhelming smell of oil. He opened his eyes but all he could see was a blur of dark splotches and a small patch of blue. Aoba. That's right, Aoba had left the room while he was in the shower. He came out to find him, Clear looked weird and then he.... fell asleep? He shook away the fuzziness and blinked his eyes into focus. He tried to reach out to Aoba but his arms wouldn't move. They seemed like they were bound behind him. He tried to call out to Aoba but as soon as he opened his mouth a foul tasting sludge pooled in. He quickly spat it out and in his fit he drew the attention of the fleck of blue, gold eyes turning to meet his green.

Sly's smile was deranged as he crawled over to help Noiz into a sitting position. He was unusually quiet and Noiz found that to be more disturbing than when he would run his mouth. He was just grateful to have his face off the floor. The smell of oil was so strong it had become nauseating, and the carpet was soaked in it. Sly and himself were also covered in it. As the last bit of the haze cleared from his mind it finally struck Noiz that something was very wrong. He looked down at the puddle and followed it with his eyes to it's source while Sly watched intently. His eyes darted quickly back to Sly, making his smile widen. Noiz tried to act like he wasn't affected but all the color had drained from his face. Behind Sly lay mangled parts of Clear strewn all over the floor and couch. Wires had been torn out and placed neatly in a pile.

"Was it you?" His voice cracked and Sly nodded proudly. His confession brought Noiz little relief, but at least it wasn't Aoba. "Does Aoba know? I want him out here. Now!" Sly frowned at his vicious tone. "You can't dismiss me. And of course he knows. He wanted this." Noiz shook his head in disbelief. "Does he even understand? He's fucking broken." Sly looked like he was going to lunge at him. "He's fine." Noiz snorted at him. "If all that is left in him is you, then yes, I would say he's broken." Noiz watched as his eyes changed and he prepared himself for Aoba's reaction.

When the brown settled into his eyes, Aoba's gaze immediately dropped to the floor and he looked around himself horrified. Then a strange giggle came from him that made Noiz's stomach clench. "Well he won't be able to clean this mess up." Aoba looked over the scattered limbs but didn't linger, seeming disturbed by them a little. But not enough for Noiz. "What are you talking about Aoba?" Aoba gestured around himself with his hands as if it were obvious. "The blood. Oil, whatever. That's never coming out of the carpet." Noiz was dumbstruck as Aoba sat there and stared at him with a twitchy smile. "How can you laugh?" Noiz wanted to reach out and shake him. He stared into Aoba's eyes looking for a trace of gold or any sign that this was actually Sly. The look on Noiz's face made Aoba's smile fade. "I'm not." He cocked his head to the side in confusion. He absentmindedly started running his fingers through the oil around him. Noiz watched his hands almost like he was in a trance.

"Did you want this Aoba?" Aoba's hands stopped for a second while he contemplated. "I didn't want to hit you, but I didn't have a choice. Clear.... though.... he wasn't the first, and he won't be the last. Sly needs me to be calm." A warm, sweet feeling pooled in his chest and he could only assume it was because he had used Sly's name. He noted that he had never felt Sly like that before but he didn't find it strange. "Aoba, it's not too late to stop. Clear can be fixed." Noiz jumped when Aoba suddenly leaned forward and slammed his fists on the floor. "No! You can't just fix him, he's dead dammit! That has to mean something." Aoba fell into their mind, pushing Sly out.

Noiz practically snarled when he saw the gold come back. "If you're really trying to help Aoba, then you should let him out so he can deal with this." Sly ignored him as he stood and pulled him to his feet, dragging him over to the couch and shoving him down on it. "Stay." He turned to walk away. "And if I don't?" Sly bristled at the challenge and quickly turned back to him, leaning over to bring his face close to Noiz's. "If you wanna run, you're more than welcome to try. I may look malnourished but after a year with those fucknuts my stamina has never been better." Sly smirked at him and walked away again. "Besides, with my voice, we both know I'd break you before you ever got off that couch." Sly walked over to the dining table and grabbed a chair, carrying it into the bedroom, then coming out to retrieve Noiz.

Sly sat Noiz down in the chair then looked around for belts and ties to restrain him. While he was tying his ankles to the legs of the chair, he caught Noiz looking at him in confusion. "What?!" Sly roughly grabbed Noiz's chin and jerked it to the side, forcing him to look away. "What's the point of bringing me in here?" Noiz decided to find a spot on the wall to stare at instead of fighting Sly, remembering his earlier threat. "Would you rather be out there with your friend?" Noiz swallowed hard as images of Clear flashed through his mind. No, he didn't want that. "If you have at least that much compassion in you, why not stop this now and let me fix Clear?"

Sly sneered as he climbed up and straddled his lap. He brushed the backs of his knuckles over his cheeks, smearing oil on his face. "You're really cute when you beg." Noiz glared at him defiantly, shaking his head free from his touch. "I think I like that cocky smirk you were always wearing better though." Sly leaned forward and placed his cheek against Noiz's neck to feel his pulse. It was fast and it sent a chill through him. He began to grind his hips into Noiz as he bit down on his collarbone. He barely got a reaction out of him, but he didn't care. So much had happened, he was going to explode if he didn't release some of the tension. Noiz looked away in disgust when Sly undid his pants and shoved his hand inside, stroking himself. "Have you always been this depraved?" Sly nodded with a huge grin, his breathing becoming heavy. "I was born from the sickness in humanity." He rested his forehead on Noiz's shoulder. "You've been touched by it too, I can tell. It's what makes us strong."

Noiz shook his head. "It makes you filth. Don't compare me to you." Sly lifted his head so he could look at Noiz. "I'd strangle you if my hands weren't busy." Despite his smirk, Noiz sensed that was an actual threat and he resigned himself to letting Sly finish in silence. Or relative silence rather, considering Sly moaned like a slut the entire time. He came on Noiz's shirt before sliding to the floor to catch his breath, not bothering to tuck his dick back into his pants. "You're disgusting." Sly smiled at Noiz as he stood, pulling off all of his clothes in the process. "I'm disgusting? You're the one with another man's mess all over yourself." Noiz returned his smile with a cocky one of his own. "From what I understand, you spent the past year like this." He could feel anger radiating off of him almost instantly. "Asshole." Sly spat in his face and stormed out of the room. Moments later Noiz heard the sound of the shower running.

Sly returned after a bit with a towel wrapped around his waist and another around his neck. He rummaged through Noiz's dressers and closet for something to wear, tossing clothes on the floor in the process, before settling on a pair of jeans and a black long sleeved shirt. The pants were a bit big on him. He looked at the belts around Noiz's ankles with a frown before deciding he really didn't care if the pants hung low on him. If anyone decided to cause problems for him, he'd break them. Once he was dressed, he walked back to Noiz and bent over, bringing his face to Noiz's level. "If you behave while I'm gone, I'll clean you up when I get back." Noiz's eyes widened just barely, but Sly caught it. "Where are you going?" Noiz hated how desperate it sounded. He just wanted to know how long he was going to be left there. "I'm just going to visit an old friend. Maybe you could tell me where I can find him?" Noiz chuckled. "What could you possibly do to me if I refused to tell you?" Sly scowled at how smug Noiz sounded. "You think you're getting away with something, don't you? I hate to tell you but I'm on to your little condition and I have every intention of figuring it out when I get back." Noiz fell silent at Sly's baleful tone. "Now, please behave yourself. There's no where you can go that I won't be able to find you." Sly ran his fingers through Noiz's hair and left the room, closing the door behind him.

In the silence, and with Sly's threatening presence gone, Noiz lowered his head and allowed himself to experience the loss of Clear and his fear of what was to come. He didn't know what was going to happen to him, but he knew he was never going to be able to fix Clear. He was the first person, other than his brother, who ever genuinely tried to get close to him. He didn't care about his money or his body. Though, Noiz sometimes found himself wishing Clear would have shown a little more interest in his body. Working on Clear was the most intimate thing he had ever done with someone and more often than not, it would leave him wanting. Clear was too oblivious to pick up on any of his advances though. It was frustrating, but Noiz couldn't bring himself to get angry over it. Clear was a good person and a great friend. He never told him any of that. Noiz began to sob as the weight of everything came crashing down on him.

Sly was surprised to find he still remembered the way to his dearest friend's place. His thoughts were silent on the way there and so was Aoba. It wasn't long before he found himself standing in front of his door. He hesitated for a second before knocking. He had to be quick, he didn't know how Aoba would handle it if he was allowed to see Koujaku's reaction. So as soon as the door opened, Sly pushed himself into Koujaku's mind. 

Noiz couldn't bring himself to cry anymore. It had been so long since he'd done it that it took quite a bit out of him. He slouched down in the chair and dozed in and out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only time I've had to write this was when I was dog tired so I apologize for the quality of this chapter and any mistakes there may be.
> 
> The words in bold are said using the Scrap voice.
> 
> WARNING: Blood, torture and mentions of suicide.

Noiz heard a sound on the other side of the door. There's no way it could be anyone but Sly. He's certain anyone else would have reacted to finding Clear. Or maybe not, he just looked like a pile of spare parts and a puddle now. No one ever came by his place anyway. After a moment, his suspicions were confirmed when the door opened and in walked Sly. He opened his mouth to say something snarky but froze when Koujaku entered the room behind him. "What is he doing here?" As soon as Noiz asked he realized he probably didn't want to know. Sly giggled as he walked over to him. "I almost forgot you guys don't like each other." His grin was wicked as he turned Noiz's chair to face the bed while Koujaku seated himself on the edge. He wasn't talking or blinking. If he wasn't moving around, Noiz would have mistaken him for dead.

Sly joined Koujaku, crawling around behind him and draping his arms over his shoulders. Never taking his eyes off of Noiz, he bent down to find the jump of the pulse he was looking for and sank his teeth into it. Blood instantly filled his mouth and he spat it out on the bed. Koujaku made a small protesting sound, but he didn't move and he barely blinked. Noiz made a look of disgust as Sly smeared the blood around with his fingers. He crawled to Koujaku's side and swung a leg over his lap, pulling himself over to straddle him. "Please tell me I don't have to watch you fuck him." Sly ignored him while he ran his hands over Koujaku's chest. "Did you know Koujaku is in love with Aoba? He has been ever since they first met." Sly found the idea laughable but Aoba felt differently and it kept him from openly mocking it. Noiz scowled and looked away. He didn't want to watch. Mostly because he knew he was next and he didn't need a preview. Not that it mattered what happened to him. Clear was gone. Aoba was gone. It's not like he could feel anything that was done to him anyways. "If you let him go, you can do whatever you want with me. I won't fight you."

Sly sneered at Noiz while he dug his nails into Koujaku's arms. Koujaku gave a soft grunt and that's it. His lack of reaction was starting to disturb Noiz and bore Sly. "He's awfully quiet isn't he?" Sly grabbed Koujaku's face and looked him in the eyes. " **Scream**." As soon as the word left his mouth, Koujaku obeyed. Noiz cringed at how unnatural it sounded. He wasn't screaming because he was in pain and bleeding. He wasn't screaming because he knew he was going to die like Noiz did. He was doing it because it was commanded of him and he was a little less than human now. Sly's face lit up and he excitedly wrapped his hands around Koujaku's slippery throat and slowly applied pressure, thoroughly enjoying the strangling noise it produced. Every beat of life splashed red out through his fingers and down his wrists. "Stop dammit!" Surprised, Sly let go of Koujaku and turned to Noiz. Noiz's expression went blank and Sly mockingly mirrored it. "Don't worry, I never intended to play with him for long. That wouldn't be fair to Aoba."

Sly turned his attention back to Koujaku and placed his hand over his forehead. " **I'm going inside you**." Suddenly the two of them collapsed onto the bed and went still. Noiz jolted upright. "Sly?" He squinted his eyes for a closer look and found that they were both still breathing, but it was shallow. He became anxious as he waited for what seemed like forever. Just as he thought to start tugging at his restraints, Koujaku began making a small choking sound. Noiz looked up as Koujaku squirmed for a second before becoming motionless. Foam was dripping from his mouth when Sly sat up to look at him, a satisfied grin on his face. He got up from the bed, wiped his hands off on the sheets and strolled over to Noiz who was still staring at Koujaku. Sly looked over his shoulder at Koujaku then back to Noiz. "Sorry we made a mess of your bed. He's such an animal." He tried to laugh but a sharp pain behind his eyes silenced him. Noiz finally looked at him. "Aoba, how could you do that to Koujaku?" Noiz thought he saw his eyes flicker but Sly looked away too quickly. He watched in confusion as Sly gripped his head. He tried to focus on a possible cause, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to think as the pain worsened. It was becoming so overwhelming he could almost hear it. It sounded like static. He walked over to the bed and leaned over, taking deep breaths. After a moment, it finally hit him. It was Aoba.

Aoba wasn't handling Koujaku's death very well. He was panicking. It felt like he was trying to regain control but Sly knew he didn't have it in him to do so. Aoba was too weak and broken to fight for or against anything anymore. Still, he needed to escape the pain Aoba was inflicting. The only thing he could think of was inflicting some pain of his own. Real pain. Something to connect him to the body and separate him from Aoba. He ran into the bathroom and ripped open the medicine cabinet, leaving Noiz bewildered in the bedroom. He found the same trimming scissors Aoba had used before and sat down in the same spot on the floor that Aoba had. He wondered briefly why Noiz would put the scissors Aoba tried to kill himself with back where he could get at them again but it didn't matter. If anything he was grateful. He needed to feel pain. Grabbing a handful of hair, Sly opened the scissors and ran the bladed edge over it, sending bolts of pain through his head. There was a flicker in the static but it wasn't enough. Taking a few strands between his fingers, Sly slid the scissors across them again before snipping them close to the scalp. The pain hit him in one big wave. He leaned his head back against the wall and indulged in the painful throbbing that followed. His mind was silent. It made everything right again.

When Sly returned to the bedroom he looked exhausted. He walked right over to the bed and rolled Koujaku off the other side onto the floor. He wasn't going to risk the sight of him sending Aoba into a fit again. He hadn't finished what he set out to do and he was so close. He sat himself in Noiz's lap and rested his head on his shoulder. Noiz wouldn't look at him. Not that he needed to. Sly could see the fear in his eyes. Disgust written all over his face. He slid his tongue over Noiz's shoulder to get his attention but he appeared to be done playing this game with him. Sly reached up and grabbed his chin, forcing their eyes to meet. "Don't be like that. I did him a favor." Noiz gave a small look of disbelief and wrenched his face free. "I may or may not have broken him a tiny bit already. He was hardly a living thing when I brought him here. I just put him out of his misery." Noiz closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Stop talking. You don't need to toy with me anymore. Please just get it over with." Sly pouted. "I'm done toying with you, I promise. But I'm not ready to end this just yet." Noiz glared at him as a slow smile creeped across his face. "I want to see if I could do you a small favor first." Before he could react, Sly placed a hand over Noiz's forehead. " **I'm going inside yo** **u**." Everything went dark for Noiz as they slumped together in the chair.

Sly looked around to find he was in a vast darkness filled with water halfway to his knees. It was definitely one of the more interesting spaces he had scrapped into. Turning around, he caught sight of a small patch of light and in it was Noiz. He was lying on the ground, held down by several chains. He appeared to be stretching in a very uncomfortable way in order to keep his mouth and nose above the water while the rest of him was submerged. Sly could tell from where he stood that Noiz's eyes were closed under the water, but he was breathing. Short, frantic breaths. Sly moved to get closer to him but every time he took a step, the water would ripple and lap over Noiz's mouth causing him to choke and gasp for air. He wondered if drowning him here would destroy him. Maybe Noiz was rejecting him and this was a trap he set in his mind to keep him safe. Deciding he had nothing to lose either way, Sly ignored his choking and began walking towards him again. Noiz made sputtering noises as if he were drowning but Sly stayed focused on getting to him.

"You're so much feistier than I thought you would be. Especially after watching your friends die." Sly was suddenly pushed back as if by a gust of wind. He stopped walking out of shock but soon regained himself and laughed. He had never been attacked in Scrap before. "I wasn't expecting a struggle from you. I figured you would want to be with your dead friends." Again he was knocked back, this time the force brought him to his knees, sending more water over Noiz's mouth. It was very interesting. "Does it sting knowing your little fuck buddy is gone? Do you hate me for dismantling him?" Noiz's eyes opened a little under the water. That really got his attention. As much as Sly was enjoying this game they were playing, he had come here with a goal in mind. He attempted to stand but was pushed back down. Sly scowled as Noiz slowly closed his eyes again. Getting on his hands and knees, Sly opted for crawling. He was still met with some resistance but he found it easier to power through it when he didn't have to worry about staying on his feet. Once he was close enough, Sly reached out and grabbed one of the many chains Noiz was wrapped in. He pulled at them until they snapped and Noiz was freed. The world around them became white and Sly felt himself being pulled out.

The first thing Noiz became aware of was a sharp pain in the back of his head. That was probably where Sly had hit him to knock him out earlier. Or was it Aoba? He was starting to think it didn't matter anymore. They were ultimately the same person who wanted the same destructive things. Sly sat up in his lap and looked at him expectantly. Noiz shook his head trying to calm the ache. "What did you do to me?" Sly grinned and slapped him hard. "Did you feel that?" He smirked at the glare Noiz was giving him. "No shit." Sly shrugged and slid out of his lap. "We have some things we need to talk about." Sly retrieved the trimming scissors from the bathroom and came back to stand in front of Noiz. "I've got nothing to say to you." Sly's face darkened and he grabbed Noiz's jaw and wrenched his mouth open. He opened the scissors and pressed the blade to the corner of Noiz's mouth before yanking them out, slicing him. Noiz yelped as blood trickled down his chin. "You can find comfort in knowing this won't last forever. I will be denying you death until I get the answers I want though." Noiz spat blood out at their feet. "Fine. What do you want to know?" Talking was difficult as the cut caused quite a bit of pain every time he moved his mouth. Sly used the scissors to cut off Noiz's shirt, occasionally nicking him. "Where can I find Mink?" He slid the tips of the blades over Noiz's chest, leaving angry red marks. Noiz took a slow breath in and held it while he tried to tolerate the pain. "He's dead. His body was found in the rubble of Oval Tower." Sly's eyes widened in surprise. He was a little disappointed, but it just made things easier for him.

Sly slid the scissors down Noiz's chest and over his stomach, stopping just above his navel. Sly then pushed the scissors into him. Noiz cried out in pain, having no idea how to deal with it. "Why didn't you guys come for me after Mink dragged me to the tower?" Without waiting for an answer, Sly pushed the scissors in harder, breaking skin. Blood bubbled up around the tips of the blades. Noiz couldn't answer him. His brain was flooded with pain. "Why didn't you look for me?" Sly twisted the scissors drawing a cry from Noiz. "We tried Aoba! We never stopped looking!" His voice was high pitched and desperate sounding. "I'm Sly asshole!" Sly's face flared with anger as he pulled back the scissors before driving them into Noiz's abdomen. A gasp was the only sound Noiz made, his head falling limp. Even when Sly pulled the scissors out and stabbed into him again, Noiz didn't make a sound. Sly grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head up to look at him. Noiz's eyes were glossing over as his consciousness began to fade. Sly slapped him in an attempt to pull him back. "I'm not going to let you get away from this that easily. It's pain Noiz. It's what you always wanted." Despite Sly's words, Noiz fell unconscious. "Fuck!" Sly began stabbing him over and over in a fit before leaving him there to bleed out, if he wasn't dead already. He went into the bathroom and removed the clothes and washed the blood off of himself in the shower. When he was done, he went back into the bedroom and avoided looking at Noiz and stepping in the puddle on the floor while he got himself clean clothes. He tripped over Koujaku once on his way to the closet, but he tried not to think about it.

Mink getting himself killed meant there was only one person left and Sly wanted to take care of her while his anger was still driving him. He walked a wide circle around the living room to avoid Clear and slipped out of the apartment, heading for the East District.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up wussing out on a few things out of fear of receiving spiteful comments. XD I don't think what I left out would be missed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER!!!!! ^_^
> 
> WARNING: This chapter contains a depressing situation and suicide.

Sly looked at the house he used to call home. It didn't look the same. Of course it was though, they were the ones who changed. It didn't matter. Tae was inside. He had to admit, over the years Sly had come up with a million ways to kill this woman. Now that he was here and seething all he wanted to do was end her with his own hands. He didn't have time to be fancy anyways, assuming Aoba would be fighting him. He walked up to the door and knocked. Every second that he waited his anger grew at the woman who tried to snuff him out. The woman who didn't feel like he had the right to exist. He was just a parasite feeding off their precious Aoba. By the time Tae came to the door, he was so enraged, he forced his way inside before she could open the door all the way. He pinned her to the wall and wrapped his hands tightly around her throat. She dug her nails into his arms so hard he almost felt his strength fade. Other than that, Tae put up little resistance. Sly, though disappointed, wasn't entirely surprised. Tae was too dignified for struggling. Not that she would fight against her grandson.

Sly could feel Aoba stir when tears rolled down Tae's cheeks. He closed his eyes to block it out but he only became louder. Aoba was yelling and begging but Sly couldn't understand him through the haze. He had come here to destroy monsters. Monsters who left them at the mercy of two psychos. Monsters who planned to torture and rape them until it killed them. Monsters who sought justice by dismembering, stabbing and mind fucking people he once called friends. Monsters who wrapped their hands around the throats of the only family they ever had. He came out of the fog of hate and his eyes settled on the tear stained glass looking back at him. He felt as though she hasn't been breathing for a while. The thumping beneath his fingers had stopped. He released her throat and staggered back as she slid down the wall to the floor. She looked scared and sad. Betrayed. But there was no anger. No hatred for him. He never thought about what he would do once there were no monsters left but him. For the first time ever, he felt too weak to fight anymore. He had been headstrong for too long. Carrying Aoba's weight had never been easy but this body felt heavier than it had ever been. There was no more freedom to having control, so he relinquished the burden to Aoba. It was Sly's turn to rest.

Aoba blinked in surprise at being tossed out, but it didn't last long when he saw Tae slumped over on the floor at his feet. He fell to his knees and started screaming. He didn't know why really. He just knew it made him feel a little better. It made him feel human. It was the human thing to do when you had no world left to destroy. Aoba went silent when he realized there was still one world left. He knew he could never escape from this. Any of it. This world was lost to him. There was still one place he could go to make things right.

Aoba got to his feet and turned away from Tae's body. He wasn't going to cry for her. He didn't deserve it. Leave that to the people who loved her enough not to kill her. The ones who deserve to grieve. He took a deep breath and ascended the stairs, heading for his bedroom. He opened the door to find everything was just as he had left it. The thought was crushing. When he saw Ren curled up on his favorite pillow he practically threw himself on the floor to get to him. He quickly pressed Ren's forehead to activate him. He was overwhelmed with happiness when Ren opened his eyes and looked at him. Tears started forming in Aoba's eyes. "Ren!" His smile faded some when he didn't receive a reply. "Ren?" Ren tipped his head to the side and barked. Aoba was speechless. Ren was gone. Everyone was gone. He picked Ren up and cradled him in his arms as he walked over to sit in front of his mirror. Taking a deep breath, Aoba found his own eyes in the mirror. " **I'm going to go inside you**."

Aoba found himself standing on a beach, sea water splashing around his feet. It was a beautiful place from a wonderful memory. Further down the beach, he could see Sly staring out over the water. He wanted to go to him. He wanted to ask him why. But he knew why. He sat down in the sand and drew his knees up to his chest, hugging them. This was it for them. They were going to end it here. They didn't deserve this easy end after all the atrocities they had inflicted on everyone. But they surely didn't deserve to live while their friends and family all lay cold. He wish he knew if his granny would forgive him. He wish he could say it wasn't his fault, that he didn't have control. But it was his hands on her throat. He still hoped she could tell the difference. What difference was there really? They were the same person. Sly was a part of him. A bright light out of the corner of his eye made him look over just in time to see Sly fade away. He felt a warmth spread through his chest and it gave him chills. Even Sly could find peace. Aoba was happy for him.

Instead of sitting there and thinking in circles, Aoba quieted his mind and stared out into the sea. The world began to crumble as Aoba brought it down around himself. "I can always destroy the world at any time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the ending feels a bit rushed. I'm terrible with endings. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with the story and left comments and kudos.


End file.
